The field of medicine relies heavily on investigative testing performed on various compositions of biological material. Testing liquid samples, such as bodily fluids, often involves collecting a sample of a liquid and exposing the liquid to a diagnostic testing assay. An assay generally involves bringing a portion of the liquid sample into contact with an assay or test strip in order to qualitatively assess or measure the presence or amount of the functional activity of an anticipated analyte. Many such test assays or strips are known to detect for the presence of a specific chemical, hormone, or other material in liquid, such as blood, urine, or even saliva. Such tests have been designed, manufactured, produced, and marketed for use in such fields as home, industrial, veterinary, and occupational testing, among others.
A plethora of test devices are available which allow a user to test for the presence of HCG, an early indicator of pregnancy, in urine. Devices and assays have also been created for the detection of a variety of other chemicals in urine, including screenings for illegal drugs in a test subject in, for example, employment or correctional settings. These devices, to date, require that a user or test subject either urinate directly on the device or assay, or to deposit urine into a receptacle into which a testing assay or strip is placed. Unfortunately, due to the exposure of both the receptacle and the assay to the test subject, support staff, lab personnel, and even the atmosphere, contamination of the sample and/or the assay is possible even when the utmost care is observed during all steps of these testing processes. Accordingly, a need for a test device which drastically reduces the potential opportunity for contamination of an assay or test strip is needed.
It is within this context that the present disclosure arises.